Review: SoulCalibur V Fight Stick (Soul Edition)
Beautiful, attractive and one hell of a sturdy piece of equipment which is built to last, SoulCalibur V’s fightstick from Mad Catz is finally upon us. This isn’t the first time Mad Catz has released a tournament edition themed fight stick, with their previous Tournament Edition fight sticks launching to coincide with the console debut of Street Fighter IV back in 2009. This sprung open many new windows for more fighting games to enter the professional fighting realm. These fight sticks aren’t just peripherals; they are akin to having a portable arcade cabinet in your home, giving you the feeling that you are fighting back in the classic arcades. But how much has changed since the first release of these tournament fight sticks? Find out in this review.
There have been many changes with the SoulCalibur V Soul Edition fightstick. Many noticeable improvements to the functionality due to Soul Calibur’s patented 8-Way Run system which is perfect for the new style of fightsticks of this generation. The joystick quickly becomes sufficient as you are able to execute and evade attacks much quicker than using a stand alone controller. The double down movement with the joystick allows you to side step out of the way of an enemy attack making the counter attack inevitable. The vast improvements in the swish movements with the joystick doesn’t feel as tight as it did with the previous fight sticks and allows the near-total lack of input delay. Soul Calibur V also features a new gauge system that after a few days playing relates strongly to what was present in Street Fighter IV’s astounding Super and Ultra meters, the attack’s can cause a devastating blow to any opposition in a similar fashion to one of Ryu’s fireballs; the essential fight stick manoeuvre.
SoulCalibur’s Guard Impact system has been revamped in a new guard scheme called “Just Guard”. This new guard functionality gives players the opportunity to pull of a “Perfect” guard, by pushing the block button at the exact moment your opponent’s strike hits. Again the lack of input delay is obviously a massive advantage here too, as this move is based on your timing your before they’re able to flow attacks at you. The benefits are phenomenal due to the laggless reception the fight stick has will benefit online players dramatically.
The Soul Edition is one beautiful looking piece of arcade equipment. The official Artwork embosses the SoulCalibur and SoulEdge swords beautifully, with one side covered in icey blue textures with the SoulCalibur sword and the Soul Edge in a firey blaze with its eye staring you in the face (Not as worrying as it sounds). The trademark colours blending in together with the logo embossed at the bottom with the Project Soul logo makes this fight stick appealing for fans and non-fans of the franchise. The stick has also been made “Transparent” on the edges allowing you to look inside and see all those special mechanical bits that make the stick function as well as it does.
Owners of the previous fight stick may recall one minor fault that was present in the tournament edition of the fight sticks. There was a problem that some of the iron screws had a tendency to rust after extensive use; something that isn’t an issue anymore due to the new stainless steel screws that have replaced them. This also still means you can remove the rubber underneath the fight stick still allowing you to mount the fight sticks onto tables or cabinets.
There has also been some improvements with the screw on the face panel, making it much easier to remove compared to the Round 2 edition of the SFIV Tournament Edition stick. This also means the issue with the previous sticks that had complaints regarding the previous Tournament Edition’s edging is no longer an issue with this one. The SoulCalibur stick has a nice smooth rounded edges, so no more issues with the possibility of causing annoyances. Previous functions that are included in all of Mad Catz fight sticks such as the various button-lock switches, built-in cable storage and multi-speed turbo functionality are all present and correct.
Overall:
This is one of the best fight sticks on market to date. If you want to take SoulCalibur V seriously then look no further as this stick will fit your every need, though it sadly can’t move and fetch you snacks. The size, look and feel of the fight stick is beautiful, proving to be much more portable compared to previous fight sticks. It’s not essential for everyone but it unquestionably gives you a more rewarding way to experience the game. If you’re looking for a decent and well crafted/improved fight stick then the £140 price tag shouldn’t put you off as it’s definitely worth the hard earned cash.
The Soul Calibur V Tournament Edition Fight Stick released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on the same date as Soul Calibur V itself: Friday, February 3rd 2012. You can purchase yours here. You can also check out our review of SoulCalibur V here.